This thesis describes an evaluation of a novel low light level charge couple device
(L3CCD) technology.
Two L3CCDs have been fully evaluated in terms of their signal and noise properties.
The primary aim of this work is to identify the device characteristics that affect the
overall performance. Conclusions have been made to this end and a prediction of the
optimal performance in terms of the device sensitivity is made. Comparisons with other
detectors suitable for use in medical imaging have shown that the L3CCD surpasses
other detectors in specific performance characteristics and is comparable in others. The
competitive performance of the L3CCD confirms that it may afford benefits in those
areas in which the L3CCD has superior performance compared to other detectors.
Two diagnostic imaging techniques which were identified as applications of L3CCD
technology have been investigated.
Linear systems analysis has been used to predict the performance of two L3CCD based
imaging systems for use in fluoroscopic imaging. Comparison of the predicted
performance of the two system with systems in clinical use show that an L3CCD
coupled to an x-ray phosphor via a tapered fibre optic is a competitive alternative to
present fluoroscopic imaging systems. Experimental validation of the model has
confirmed this conclusion.
An L3 detector has been designed, built and evaluated for diffraction enhanced breast
imaging. To demonstrate the use of the L3 detector for diffraction enhanced breast
imaging it has been used to acquire diffraction images of human breast tissue with
cancerous inclusions. Measurements of scatter contrast confirm improvements in
scatter contrast compared to transmission contrast. The successful demonstration of the
L3CCDs ability to collect diagnostic information has shown that the L3CCD is suitable
for diffraction enhanced breast imaging